Kwame Onwuachi is one of the most celebrated chefs in the U.S. He has opened multiple restaurants, including the celebrated Tatiana in New York City. He has published multiple books and has won numerous awards, including a James Beard Award.
He is also a former McDonald’s crew member.
“I have always been proud to say that I worked for McDonald’s,” he said. “It was never a stigma for me, because I grew up in New York City. Everyone’s fighting for jobs, and when you’re 16, there’s not many jobs you can get that will pay a competitive wage, or pay you on time, but McDonald’s does.”
Onwuachi was speaking at an event in Chicago this week, the latest iteration of McDonald’s “1 in 8” campaign, an effort highlighting the company’s role providing first jobs for millions of Americans.
One out of eight Americans have worked at McDonald’s at some point in their lives, and one in three have worked at a restaurant. The chain's alumni have gone onto some big things. They've become major corporate executives, in and out of McDonald's. But they've also become actors, comedians, musicians or other careers. One is the Democratic candidate for president, Kamala Harris.
The fast-food giant wants to turn that group into a community, while highlighting some of the success stories among its vast alumni. The Chicago event, called “Employees Only,” is the first in a series of regional events featuring notable former employees along with current workers.
The event featured Onwuachi, Chris Redd, a comedian and Saturday Night Live alum, and Clarissa Molina, an actress and TV host who was Miss Dominican Republic in 2015. The three sat down for a “fryside chat” along with Faith Taylor, a McDonald’s employee who received tuition assistance through the company’s Archways to Opportunity program, and franchisee Gianna Funkhouser.
Redd provided some standup comedy, cleaned up for a business audience, and Onwuachi crafted a jerk barbecue sauce.
Molina moderated the discussion but also discussed what working at McDonald’s did for her.
She moved to the U.S. when she was 15 and got a job at McDonald’s soon after. The job paid for her first beauty pageant. It was “the door I needed to go have this career,” Molina said. “I remember I was like, “OK, this check is going to be one for me, for my household. And then this one is for my beauty pageant contest, and I did that.”
Redd said his McDonald’s job helped fund studio time that helped launch a music career. “That was the first job that funded my first demo,” he said.
Yet he added that the job helped him with other skills. “I was able to understand how to show up for a job, how to keep that job,” Redd said. “Show up on time was a big one, because that is not my strong suit. So I got in shape in that job.”
Highlighting these success stories is important for a company that has an insatiable need for workers.
McDonald’s and its franchisees hope the 1 in 8 effort can help destigmatize the position, which has long been derided, but which remains an important part of the U.S. economy. Some one in nine jobs in the U.S. is at a restaurant. And many of those jobs are in the fast-food space.
The workers were frequently at the front lines during the pandemic. And the workforce shortage that hit the industry afterward highlighted just how important these employees are to the operation of the business.
Showing current—and future—employees what some McDonald’s alumni have gone onto become is valuable.
“I know how to sweep and mop properly because of McDonald’s. I know how to organize a walk-in because of McDonald’s. I know how to set my lineup because of McDonald’s. And I can give the best customer service because of McDonald’s.” -Kwame Onwuachi.
“When they see people that have gone onto these amazing careers, it’s inspirational for them,” Funkhouser said in an interview. “Any reason to get our employees out of the restaurant and experience something different, and to show them they’re part of something bigger and different is always a win.”
But it isn’t just about going on to become a comedian or an actor. The restaurant industry is one of the few in which a person can come in off the street with no skill, show up on time, work hard and well, and move up through the ranks quickly.
They can become executives with corporate, such as Alma Anguiano, who started as a crew member 25 years ago and is now McDonald’s U.S. field people officer.
Many franchisees also started out as crew members. That includes Funkhouser, whose parents bought their first McDonald’s on North Ave. and Wells St. in Chicago in 1999. Her parents both worked full-time jobs but contacted McDonald’s, interested in buying a location.
They were given the opportunity seven years later. Her father worked 30 hours a week on weekends to do the training before they bought the location. They now have 10 stores.
Funkhouser started working there when she was a teenager. And when she completed college, her father asked if she wanted to come work in the family business. When she said yes, he told her to start working right away. No break.
“In college, I actually worked for a restaurant group, where I moved up from waitress to general manager to supervisor,” she said. “It was always in me. Even in college, when I could have gone out and tried different things, I was drawn back to restaurants for some reason.
“So when I came home, I never really thought twice about it.”
As a second-generation franchisee, Funkhouser said McDonald’s doesn’t have to be just a “first job.” It can last a lot longer than that.
“I always felt like it doesn’t have to be the first job,” she said. “I like people to hear and to know if you plan on staying here, it’s OK. There isn’t a stigma that you have to move on and that moving on to different things is so much better.
“I have an employee right now, my top person, who walked in to become a drive-thru employee. She’s now the director of operations. She’s making $120,000 a year.”
McDonald’s has also been a training ground for many restaurateurs. Just ask Onwuachi. “I wish I had stolen the handbook,” he joked.
“I know how to sweep and mop properly because of McDonald’s,” Onwuachi said. “I know how to organize a walk-in because of McDonald’s. I know how to set my lineup because of McDonald’s. And I can give the best customer service because of McDonald’s.”
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